Plastic bottle deposit scheme to go ahead

Here at Yours, we’re trying to use as little plastic as possible and we know our readers are also keen to protect the environment as best they can. That is why we were delighted to learn of the latest incentive being introduced to reduce plastic waste.

People in England will soon be paying a deposit when purchasing bottled drinks and cans. If you return your bottle or can, your deposit will be paid back to you. The cost of the deposit has not yet been decided but other countries usually charge between 8-22p per drinks container.

This crackdown on plastic has been very successful in other countries such as Germany. After this scheme was introduced there back in 2003, 99 per cent of plastic bottles are now recycled into other materials. This is compared to the UK where just 43 per cent of our plastic bottles are recycled.

A supermarket bottle deposit station in Germany

This latest news comes as more and more supermarkets are ditching the 5p carrier bags in exchange for 10p bags in a bid to reduce the number of supermarket carrier bags being used and encourage shoppers to remember their bags for life. Leading supermarkets to already make this change include Tesco and Morrison’s as well as many others.

The plans come as part of government plans to cut all unavoidable plastic waste from the UK by 2042 after fears of the damage unnecessary plastic waste is continuing to have on our environment, especially on our oceans, highlighted by Sir David Attenborough in Blue Planet II.

We’d love to hear about what measures you’re taking to reduce your use of plastic – let us know how you feel about these latest plans over on our Facebook page!